Fall is a great time for homeowners to prioritize exterior maintenance around their properties. Doing so can make exterior areas less vulnerable to harsh winter weather, and some projects can also prevent damage to a home and its hidden components.
Conventional wisdom notes the importance of shutting off outdoor faucets before temperatures drop below freezing. According to the Illinois-based Citizens Utility Board, this strategy is designed to prevent pipes from freezing over the winter. Frozen pipes can eventually burst, leading to a host of harmful and costly side effects. Fall is a great time to drain and shut off outdoor faucets because temperatures in many regions are still above freezing when late fall gives way to winter, and grasses and plants typically are not still being watered in late fall. In areas where winter tends to arrive in November as opposed to the third week of December, it can be beneficial to drain and turn off outdoor faucets in mid-fall, if not earlier.
When turning off outdoor faucets for the winter, be sure to remove any hoses or faucet connections. In addition, turn off the outdoor water supply valve. Homes with more than one outdoor faucet will likely have more than one supply valve, so be sure to turn each one off. Though supply valves theoretically can be anywhere in a home, they tend to be in a basement, crawl space, first-floor laundry room (look near a slop sink if your home has one), or even a garage. Once all outdoor supply valves are turned off, go outside and turn each faucet on at full blast. Let all the water out until it comes to a stop.
Homeowners who forget to do this before the mercury drops below 32°F can rest assured that pipes will not necessarily freeze even if temperatures are below freezing. American Family Insurance® notes that pipes that are not insulated typically will not freeze until temperatures reach 20°F and remain at that point or below for a few hours. However, it’s still best to make turning off outdoor faucets part of your fall home maintenance routine so you don’t forget this important and simple task until it’s too late.
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